Thursday, October 23, 2014

Art, religion and politics collide in the Saint Mary’s Department of Theatre and Dance production of the complex British drama “Pentecost” Thursday through Sunday, Nov. 6-9.

Written by David Edgar and directed by Judy Myers, “Pentecost” tells the story of Gabrielle Pecs, a beautiful and passionate art curator in a small village in an unnamed Eastern European post-communist country. Gabrielle believes she has discovered something wonderful in an ancient, abandoned church near her country’s border. Realizing that a celebrated art historian from England is arriving in her country to give a talk, Gabrielle brings him face to face with what very well may be a work of art that will change the course of history.

This play contains adult language and adult situations. Patron discretion is advised.

The next Under-Told Stories Project Forum asks the question, “Is What You’re Wearing Enslaving or Liberating?” A panel of speakers will conduct a public discussion about issues related to the garment industry Wednesday, Nov. 12, at Winona Campus.

The event’s keynote speaker is Joe Bozich, CEO of Knights Apparel, who is convinced his Alta Gracia collegiate sportswear subsidiary can compete with Adidas and Nike while providing a living wage to the Dominican workers who make the clothes.

Bozich has more than 20 years of manufacturing, sourcing, marketing, and operations experience. He founded Knights Apparel in 2001, and by 2009 Knights Apparel became the largest supplier of college apparel in the United States. Knights Apparel also holds exclusive rights with the NHL. Bozich was named Ernst & Young’s 2005 Entrepreneur of the Year for the Illinois Region and in 2010 the Huffington Post nominated him as one of the top 100 Game Changers in the nation.

Participants will be asked to think about these questions:

•Bozich pays Alta Gracia garment workers 3.5 times the legal minimum wage. What’s your price point for fairness?
•In Bangladesh, 4 million people are employed in the garment industry, many in unsafe conditions with poverty-level pay. Are “non-living wages” better than the alternative?
•From “fair trade” to “green washing,” can consumers be persuaded to make socially responsible choices?

The moderator will be Fred de Sam Lazaro, who directs the Under-Told Stories Project at Saint Mary’s—a program that combines international journalism and teaching—and is a senior distinguished fellow at the university’s Hendrickson Institute for Ethical Leadership. He has served as a correspondent for PBS NewsHour since 1985 and is a regular contributor to Religion and Ethics Newsweekly on PBS.
Panelists will also include:

• Chandu Valluri M’06, assistant professor of marketing at Saint Mary’s. Valluri has advised CEOs and senior business leaders in the textile, information communication technology, and food and beverage industries, both domestically and internationally.

• Nikki See, producer and editor, Under-Told Stories Project. See covers a variety of global issues for PBS, including those in the apparel trade and human rights. See brings the rare perspective of one who has spent time amid the garment racks in Cambodian and Bangladeshi factories, as well as those of the fashion retailers she browses for her own consumption.

This event—free and open to the public—is planned for 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Page Theatre. (The same event will be held 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 11, at Saint Mary’s Twin Cities Campus.)

This event is made possible by the Under-Told Stories Project as seen on the PBS NewsHour, and is sponsored by the Hendrickson Institute for Ethical Leadership at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota.

Today (Friday, Oct. 24) the Solidarity Council will host this year’s diversity symposium, titled “Moving Forward: Resistance and Agents of Change for the Future,” in Saint Mary’s Hall from 4 to 7 p.m.

The goal of the symposium is to unlock ideas and thoughts that empower students to think in new ways, and to move forward in solidarity with open minds regarding topics of inclusion and diversity of the past, present, and future.

Dr. Tycho de Boer, associate professor of history, will serve as the keynote speaker from 4 to 4:50 p.m. in Salvi Lecture Hall. He will present “Resistance and the Straitjacket of Triumphalism.”

Breakout sessions, from 5 to 5:50 p.m. in Saint Mary’s Hall, will include “Resistance as an Agent of Change” hosted by Active Minds in Room 200; “Predominantly White Institutions and Social Movements,” hosted by SAFE in Room 222; “Beyond the Veil: Exploring Intercultural Conflicts Surrounding Skin Color,” hosted by Black Student Allies in Room 226; and “The Hunger and Thirst for Justice: Catholic Social Teaching for Your Life,” hosted by Peace & Justice in Room 234.

A faculty panel from 6 to 6:45 in the Common Room will include a discussion with Dr. Rose Beal, Dr. Erich Lippman, Dr. Stephen Patee and Dr. Roger Peckover, moderated by Eric Styles. The group will present an “Ecumenical Dialogue: Christian Identity, Social Change, and Plurism.”

The Brothers of Phi Mu Alpha cordially invite members of the faculty and staff to Blue Angel 2014. This year’s performances are Friday, Oct. 31, at 8 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 1, at 7 and 10 p.m. You may receive a complimentary ticket to the show of your choice by contacting Lance Thompson at Ext. 1686 or ljthom01@smumn.edu.

Many area high school juniors and seniors will perform hands-on chemistry projects during upcoming Chemistry Night at Saint Mary’s, which will run 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29.

Chemistry Night, sponsored by the Saint Mary’s Chemistry Department and the La Crosse-Winona local section of the American Chemical Society, is an annual event designed to help students explore the discipline of chemistry and appreciate the positive role that chemistry plays in our everyday world.

Each year high school students solve challenging but fun chemical problems, based on the National Chemistry Week theme. This year the theme is “The Sweet Side of Chemistry—Candy.”

Students will work in small teams, using wet chemistry and working with chemical instrumentation in the Saint Mary’s Chemistry Department, under the guidance of chemistry and biochemistry majors.

About 10 area schools and 50 students typically participate in this event.

Members of the Saint Mary’s Music Department faculty will present a free recital on Sunday, Oct. 26, at 3 p.m. in Figliulo Recital Hall.

This performance features Dr. David Leung (violin) and Derek Clark (cello) performing a duet by Hungarian composer Zoltan Kodaly; 18th century arias performed by Lindsy O’Shea (soprano); a rare performance of a galant-style flute sonata by Anna Bon performed by Dr. Janet Heukeshoven; solo jazz piano works performed by Eric Heukeshoven; and a Canonic Sonata by Telemann played by David Leung and Janet Heukeshoven. Pianist Aleah Harvey will be performing with Heukeshoven and O’Shea.

For more information, contact Dr. Janet Heukehoven at jheukesh@smumn.edu.

“Seeing Christ in the Darkness,” a collection of the world-class prints of one of the most important printmakers of the 20th century, Georges Rouault, will be on display Oct. 16 through Nov. 16 at Saint Mary’s University.

Rouault (1871-1958) was a lifelong Roman Catholic, but the Church resisted the darkness of his work. It wasn’t until the end of his life that he received a church commission. But the graphic art in this exhibition, done at the height of the artist’s powers, shows how deeply the artist identified with people’s sufferings and, indeed, saw within this darkness the salvation that Christ brought.

Rouault’s work will be on display in the Lillian Davis Hogan Galleries. The exhibit is free and open to the public from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

All students and alumni of Saint Mary’s are invited to check out local and regional businesses and organizations, network with potential employers, and find out what they are looking for in potential interns and employees.

This is a great opportunity for students to practice job interview skills and potentially land a job or internship that could launch their careers.

Start planning your spooktacular Halloween costume now; get your office or department together and vie for the highly coveted traveling Halloween contest trophy. The last costume contest winners, Development and Alumni Relations, aren’t going to give it up easily!

This is the Saint Mary’s Volunteer Committee’s first “Let’s Do Lunch” potluck/fundraiser.

This year’s winner and runner-up will be able to direct their $300 and $200 winnings to their choice of the following worthy causes: Winona Food Shelf; scholarships at Saint Mary’s; Saint Mary’s in Jamaica; Habitat for Humanity; the First-Generation Initiative; or the Red Cross.

The lunch will run from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31, in the Common Room. All faculty and staff are welcome! Staff from the library, Business Office and Registrar’s Office are joining forces to host the event.

In recognition of national “Make a Difference Day,” Saint Mary’s Volunteer Mentors group is inviting Winona residents and nonprofit agencies to submit requests for service.

The university hopes to get as many students as possible out into the community between 1 and 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25. Students are willing to help individuals and organizations with anything from painting to yard work.

“Make a Difference Day” is a national day of helping others, a celebration of neighbors helping neighbors. Created by USA WEEKEND magazine, this annual event takes place on the fourth Saturday of every October. For more information, call Anna Waechter at Ext. 7268 or email awaechte@smumn.edu.

Lasallian Day of Service

Also on Oct. 25, alumni are invited to participate in the sixth-annual Lasallian Day of Service. This is a day that allows alumni to come together in the spirit of the Lasallian mission in service to others. The alumni association has established a volunteer site for the Winona area at a Habitat for Humanity house.

Sites have also been confirmed in the Chicago, Twin Cities, Saint Louis, Milwaukee and Denver areas. Alumni who reside outside these locations have been encouraged to arrange their own service project(s).

Elementary and preschool children from the Winona area are invited to attend the 14th annual Saint Mary’s, Halloween Fun Night from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 27.

Participants should stop at the guard booth at the main entrance of the Winona campus for directions on where to park.

Young trick-or-treaters should start out the evening at the Hall of Fame Room, located in the Toner Student Center, where tattoos and stickers, a coloring station, and other fun games will be offered, and the Cardinal mascot will greet pint-sized ghosts and goblins.

From there, Saint Mary’s students will lead groups of trick-or-treaters through the residence halls of the university, where they can go door to door for candy. Last year more than 750 youth participated in this free, safe and fun event, sponsored by the Office of Residence Life.

This year’s Saint Mary’s University Walk of Horror is again guaranteed to give you goosebumps. New scares are planned around every corner.

The 18th annual hair-raising fundraiser for the Cardinal fastpitch softball team will take place from 7 to 10 p.m. Oct. 24-25 and 30-31 in the campus bluffs. Walkers are asked to meet on the lighted path between the Saint Mary’s baseball and softball fields, where the haunted walk will begin.

Groups are then escorted through the dark bluffs for approximately 20 minutes. The cost is $5 for adults, $4 for students with ID, and $4 for children 12 and younger. Tickets are available at the gate.

Head fastpitch softball coach Jen Miller said the event is fun for all ages. The scare level is toned down for younger children and turned up for groups bold enough to face their fears. Last year more than 1,100 brave souls took the Walk of Horror.

Proceeds from this event will be used for the softball team’s travel expenses. For more information, contact Miller at Ext. 6923.

The Chat, Chow & Web 2.0 professional development series, hosted by the library, IT, and Instructional Technology, is open to all faculty and staff. Meet in the main lounge of McEnery; lunch is provided. An RSVP is appreciated, but not necessary, to Jason Spartz at jspartz@smumn.edu.

The next event, “Freedom to Roam,” will be noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19. Dr. Moni Berg-Binder (biology), Dr. Demian Cho (physics), and Dr. Kristen Sellke (math) have reinvented their classrooms using iPads. They will talk about how they can now move easily through their classrooms carrying their technology with them.

The annual Bach and Jazz Concert at Central Lutheran Church, hosted by Bach Society of Minnesota, has become a season standard.

John Paulson, professor emeritus of music at Saint Mary’s, and Business Department faculty member Lawrence Price will perform at the event, which begins at 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 26, at the church, 259 W. Wabasha St.

“Farming the Ridge: Yesterday and Today” will be presented at the Winona County History Center, 160 Johnson St., on Tuesday, Oct. 28. There will be a reception at 7 p.m., and the performance will begin at 7:30 p.m.

The material for this event is taken from interviews conducted by poet Ken McCullough with farmers and their families who live and work on the Garvin Heights Ridge. McCullough will read the pieces spoken by men, and Lynn Nankivil, playwright, will read the pieces spoken by women. They will be accompanied by violinist Betsy Neil and pianist Mark McGuire.

The program will begin with a song titled “Valediction,” sung by soprano Teri Tenseth Market and tenor Leslie Hittner. The lyrics were written by McCullough, and the music by Tim Takach, a Minneapolis composer.

“Early Settlement of the Ridge,” a presentation by Dr. William Crozier, professor emeritus of history at Saint Mary’s, will follow the performance.

The program is free and open to the public, and is sponsored by the Southeast Minnesota Arts Council and the Winona County Historical Society.

Registration is now open for the 2014 Innovation Challenge, and the top prize is $7,000.

Miller Ingenuity, a manufacturing innovation leader in Winona, invites all college and graduate students to submit plans and creative ideas in response to the challenge, “How might an American manufacturer attract the best and brightest innovative minds to pursue careers in the manufacturing industry?” The best solutions will win $7,000 (first prize); $2,000 (second); $1,000 (third). Submissions are due Nov. 5.